


A Foxey Christmas

by my_unlikely_hero



Series: Misc. Foxhole Court fics [4]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: All For The Game - Freeform, Christmas goodness, Christmas prompts, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Love, M/M, Mistletoe, NO ANGST THIS TIME, foxhole court - Freeform, happy holidays, or whatever floats your boat, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-03 18:32:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8725654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_unlikely_hero/pseuds/my_unlikely_hero
Summary: Foxey Christmas fics. Hopefully one for each day. Wish me luck!





	1. Chapter 1

Mistletoe: 

 

For most of the Foxes, Christmas hadn't been a particularly fun thing until they left for college. Of course, Matt’s had been the most normal. Dan had always been too poor to enjoy Christmas, worried about having money for bills and meager presents. Alison's parents were constantly working. Renee's had gotten much better since her adoption. Aaron's mother was abusive and neglectful, and he often escaped to the drugged haze. Nicky had been depressed and hated in his own home. To Andrew, Christmas vacation meant being trapped in abusive homes. Neil had spent his childhood holidays avoiding his father and his men, both in Baltimore and on the run with his mother. 

 

So when the Foxes celebrated Christmas, they went all out. Alison and Neil split the cost for another large cabin in the mountains. Alison and Renee, Dan and Matt were piled into Matt’s truck. Behind them followed Andrew and Neil. Nicky couldn't afford a ticket to see Erik, and sat chattering on the phone for the past hour. Aaron spent his with Katelyn and Kevin with Wymack and Abby, so it was just the three of them in the rented SUV.

 

The owner of the cabin was a private owner and had recommended something with four wheel drive. The road leading up the mountain was winding and snowy, and the sky was clear and blue. The snow glistened in the daylight, and there was nearly a foot of it under the tires. Neil was glad they had rented a car, there was no way Andrew's sports car could make it through this. 

 

The cabin itself had three stories. Andrew and Neil shared the top floor with Alison and Renee. Each suite had its own balcony and luxurious bathroom. The carpet was plush white, and a stone fireplace stood in the wall across the room from the large bed. Nicky, Dan and Matt shared the second floor. 

 

The first floor held a large kitchen, a plush sitting room, and a well equipped game room. Renee was quick to inventory the kitchen. The fridge and cabinets were not stocked, but there were plenty of pots and pans and cooking things that Neil had no idea how to use. The sitting room held three large couches and four leather recliners. There was a case full of dvds and a large screen taking up nearly the entire wall. The game room was filled with game devices Neil couldn't name and games he was sure Matt and the monsters would enjoy. 

 

The first day they napped and then drove into town to buy groceries for the two weeks of break. Nicky grabbed armfuls of candy and chips and dip. Andrew grabs a few gallons of ice cream and the upperclassmen shop for ingredients that actual adults would buy. Neil thinks he spots spaghetti noodles but he never made any so he isn't sure. His contribution to the cart is milk and eggs and fruit. 

 

Alison drags them to some sort of store with lots of fake ivy and Christmas ornaments and lights and other things that the others father by the handful while Neil follows Andrew around in confusion. They leave the store with twelve boxes of ornaments and ten bags of various decorations. Nicky and Matt give him ‘the look’ when he tells them he hasn't celebrated a holiday since he was nine. 

 

The groceries and decorations are piled in the back of the SUV. They stop to ask for directions at a gas station while the monsters sit in the car. They follow Matt somewhere into the country and pull in to a farm. A man meets them outside by a cliché red barn. Andrew and Neil smoke cigarettes while Matt takes an axe and leads them out the back side of the barn to a large selection of trees, growing fresh. 

 

Neil couldn't tell one sort from another, but Matt and Alison debate the benefits of different trees until Renee suggests a competition for who can find the best tree. They split into couples with Nicky racing off on his own. Andrew takes Neil's gloved hand in his own, black mittens clasping black fingers. They smoke another cigarette while they walk slowly down the rows of trimmed, specially farmed Christmas trees. 

 

It takes an hour to find the ‘perfect’ tree. They finally decide that Alison's is the best, fluffy with thick dark needles and nearly too big to tie to Matt’s truck. 

 

They spend the entire night drinking and eating and decorating. Renee and Nicky bake cookies while Neil wraps the fake green stuff around the stair rails like Alison says. Nicky stands on a chair to put some mistletoe above the archways. It takes all seven of them to decorate the tree. Matt lifts Neil onto his shoulders to put the glass star on the top. The delicate ornaments glisten with the lights. 

 

Someone put on Christmas music while they worked. Andrew made the eggnog with a very large portion of rum. Slowly everyone trails off in pairs to their bedrooms. Andrew is left alone with Neil, finishing the last minutes of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Neil is sleepy against Andrew's side, warm and soft and safe. He pulls the idiot under the mistletoe, draping Neil's arms around his neck. The lights from the tree shine prettily on Neil's beautiful face. 

 

“Nobody's kissed you under the mistletoe before.” Andrew says, rather than questions. His voice is warm. 

 

“Yes or no?” Neil mumbles, staring fondly at Andrew's lips. Lips that quirk into a soft twitch of a smile. 

 

“Yes.”


	2. Pretend boyfriend

Pretend boyfriend for Christmas party:

 

Neil is pretty and interesting and funny-- at least, interesting and funny in the same dark, twisted way as Andrew. Neil is quiet and knows how to obey commands, if their time working together at Eden's Twilight is anything to judge by. Also, Neil is asexual. Andrew has spent the last three months watching stunning men and women alike, flirt at the oblivious fool for nothing. Neil has perfected the art of turning people away, oblivious to their goals. Sometimes it got Neil into trouble with drunk assholes but more often it was just funny to watch. 

 

The club is closed and Andrew wipes tables and eavesdrops on Neil while he talks on his dinosaur of a cellphone. He hangs up, looking harried. 

 

“Trouble in paradise?”

 

“Paradise,” Neil scoffs. “Purgatory, maybe. My friends are giving me a hard time about needing a date for the Christmas party Saturday. Like I can just ask anyone. Like I haven't explained ‘demisexual’ enough times, and they still don't understand. I can't just ask someone, that's not how this works. Yet, Alison keeps sending me girls numbers and pictures. And Nicky is actually bringing men to my door. It's like they have some bet on which ‘side’ I'm on.”

 

“And?” Andrew wonders if this is going somewhere, or if Neil is just talking because he knows Andrew will listen. 

 

“And I'm Demi! I need an emotional connection to someone. I'm not interested in bringing just someone, or anyone. Then I have to explain how it isn't a real date, or I have to worry about being kissed or something at the end of the night.”

 

Andrew understands, and he keeps cleaning while Neil talks. 

 

“Will you pretend to be my boyfriend?” 

 

Andrew turns to Neil, his blue eyes wide and stark against the red hair and black walls. His cheeks flush, and he stutters. “I mean, if you want to. It's just-- there's going to be a lot of people there, and you happen to be really good at scaring people away. And you won't expect me to do anything at the end of the night. You won't make me do anything.”

 

Neil had alluded to a past abusive relationship or something, once or twice before. He rarely mentioned Riko, but Kevin had to go get drunk every time someone mentioned the bastards name. 

 

“Are you asking me to go as your fake date slash bodyguard?” Andrew lights a cigarette, even though smoking isn't really allowed inside the club. 

 

“Please?” Neil asks softly, a little shy and a lot nervous. 

 

“I hate that word.” 

 

“Please?” 

 

Andrew glares. 

 

“Oh, right. Sorry. But will you? It's nothing really formal, just a big party for the Foxes and their dates. It's at Alison's, so there should be expensive alcohol for you.” 

 

“When is it?” 

 

“Tomorrow? I can pick you up wherever you want but the party is at seven.” 

 

Andrew shakes his head. “I'm not riding bitch on that motorcycle. I'll pick you up at six.” 

 

 

 

Andrew and Neil are the last to arrive at the estate. Matt’s truck, Alison’s pink sports car are already parked in the drive. Andrew's Maserati looks at home among the other expensive cars. Inside, Neil knows better than to knock on the door and just walks in. The hall is lit with Christmas lights and crawling ivy and ornaments. Some Christmas music is nearly drowned by the chatter and laughter down the hall. It takes a moment to find Neil's friends in the crowd. When Alison Reynolds throws a party, she aims for as lavish and extravagant as possible. Everything from the food to the music to the clothes and high cultured laughs, screams ‘posh’. 

 

Neil had grown up in Baltimore with these sort of parties. Events where he was meant to be seen and not heard, where his father would always punish him after, for some mistake Nathaniel had made. When he had been too small to fight and too young to run. 

 

Alison looked as chic as ever, but Renee must have gone to the salon. Yesterday her hair had been a pastel pink, Alison's favorite color. Today it's a soft lavender. 

 

“Neil!” Dan finds him through the crowd, somehow. 

 

“This the date? He looks angry. Did you kidnap him? Pick some guy off the street?” 

 

“This is Andrew. We work together.”

 

Matt looks at the careful distance between them. “How long have you guys been dating?” 

 

“Oh, um, a little while. Not long.” Neil shrugs it off. 

 

“Alison and Renee are somewhere around. I'm sure they'll find you soon. How did you two hook up? I know Neil is a cutie but he's not exactly the talkative type.” 

 

“Oh-- um, we, uh--” Neil stutters, cheeks flushing prettily. 

 

“Neil locked his keys in his apartment and misplaced the keys to the bike. He crashed on the couch.” Andrew saves him. That had actually happened, though. Neil's first week working at Eden's, Neil had locked himself out of his apartment and misplaced the keys to the motorcycle. He had spent the night in Andrew's pajamas, on Andrew's fold out couch. They had slept late into the morning and eaten lunch together, then spent most of the day together until the manager could come to open the door. The bike keys had been found in the ice bin behind the bar. 

 

“I believe I was promised alcohol, babe.” Andrew nudges Neil's ribs with his elbow. 

 

“There's food in the dining room and drinks over in the corner bar.” Dan smiles and lets them walk away. 

 

Most of the people are coworkers, or financiers or investors or generally ‘important’ people in companies. People that benefited Alison to have around. And Alison Reynolds was a queen amongst them, dazzling and charming and bright. Neil watched her and the others he knew mingle around the crowd while he and Andrew drank at the bar. 

 

When the noise and people became too much for Neil, he tugged Andrew's sleeve to a balcony hidden out of the way, away from the confusion. The garden below was lit with fairy lights and lanterns and white flowers. The party was distant noise in the background. Andrew lit two cigarettes and gave one to Neil while they sipped their glasses. 

 

“I've never celebrated Christmas before. I grew up in Baltimore, and my father held grand parties like this. I was expected to be polite and silent, but I was never quite good enough. He always punished me after. Then we left him, and we didn't really have time for stuff like that. Then I was with Riko. He made holidays an unpleasant thing. So I think my friends are trying to compensate, or something. Since I've never really had an okay Christmas.” 

 

Andrew nods. “I grew up in foster care. I don't remember a single one being good. Holiday breaks were spent hiding and fighting. I'm not a fan of the season, either. Or birthdays.” 

 

Andrew nabs Neil's empty glass and sets them both on the ledge. 

 

“Are you drunk?” Andrew asks him. He's sick of Neil's oblivion and wants Andrew's intentions to be unmissable. But he won't kiss Neil drunk. He won't be like them. 

 

“No, why?” 

 

“I want to kiss you. Yes or no?” 

 

“Oh.” Neil blinks slowly, thinking about it.He knows Andrew, knows that he isn't the same as Riko or Nathan. He knows that he's safe with Andrew, even here, away from his friends. He wonders how Andrew's lips would feel against his own. “Yes.” 

 

“Don't touch,” Andrew warns him before lips are pushed clumsily against his own. Andrew kisses like he fights-- all quick moves and fierce passion. Gone is the apathy, the boredom. Andrew kisses Neil's lips numb. He grabs Neil's cheek and pulls them apart. He searches Neil's face for a hint of discomfort. 

 

“What if I want to take you out on a real date?” Andrew wonders aloud. He looks out toward the garden so he doesn't stare at the lights playing tricks with Neil's eyes. 

 

“I would say yes to that, too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of these are really connected. Just themed. Obviously. ''Tis the season! Also, I rarely edit anything. Sorry? :/

You hate Christmas because you've never had a good one. I go all out to make this the best Christmas ever: 

 

Baltimore Christmases were lavish and ornate, with a large tree and catered parties. The tree had been artfully decorated by staff, the party to keep appearances. Neil was meant to be seen and not heard, silent and perfectly polite in little suits of red and black. 

 

When he was a year old he had little bruises on his chubby arms and legs where Lola had pinched him. When he was two, he had a few cigarette burns on his tiny arms. When he was three, and four, and five, Neil had been beaten after the party was over, for not being quiet enough. When he was six, Nathan began locking him in the basement closet. 

 

When Neil is ten, the day passes unnoticed as he and his mother sneak into Canada. When he's eleven, and Christmas is spent in a dirty motel, eating tortillas and watching Christmas shows through static. When Neil is fourteen, he spends Christmas healing from a car crash while Mary drives. When Neil was seventeen, he spends a lonely Christmas moving to Milport. He spends his eighteenth Christmas in Evermore. 

 

Andrew is determined to make this an okay Christmas for both of them. Saturday was spent picking Erik up at the airport and cleaning. Sunday they went shopping, raiding the shops for candles and ornaments and candy canes and so, so many decorations. It was like Nicky thrived on tinsel. They bought Neil's first real Christmas tree, and a pretty glass star Erik and Nicky picked out. Erik had brought his own traditions with him. Between him and Nicky, Andrew only had to sneak a few decorations into the house. 

 

“Erik? Babe? Where did you buy this giant snowman?” 

 

“What snowman?”

 

“This inflatable snowman. I found it in the closet?” 

 

“Huh. I don't know.” 

 

“We must have just picked it up somewhere. Oh, it's cute, too.” 

 

Andrew holds Neil on his shoulders to string the lights on the porch. They set up the snowman in the yard with a dozen plastic candy canes. Nicky paints the windows white with fake frost from a can, and laces strings of garland and lights through the hallways and up the stairs. Erik and Nicky stand the tree while Neil and Andrew pour rum into a gallon of eggnog and smoke cigarettes. They pass the jug between them, occasionally stopping to add more rum until the bottle empties. Even Neil drinks as they decorate their Christmas tree, safe in their home. 

 

In the evening, they bake Erik’s homemade gingerbread and they order pizza in while they watched The Santa Clause series. Andrew lets Neil curl against his side, and rest his head on Andrew's lap. He can play with Neil's hair this way, the red soft between his fingers. 

 

They spend the next days leading up to Christmas swapping cars and partners and sneaking out to buy presents. Meaning, Erik and Nicky kidnapped neil and left Andrew at home. And then Andrew ran off for an entire day to shop without everyone bothering him. 

 

Carolers knock at the door, which Andrew opens. They begin the first lines to Jingle Bells, and Andrew walks away. 

 

“Neil! It's for you!” 

 

Neil jogs over and stares befuddled as the group sings to him. 

 

On Christmas Eve, Erik teaches Neil how to bake little cherry cookies and pies for tomorrow. They stayed mostly in the kitchen, where the food and the alcohol were. Andrew perches on the counter with Neil leaning between his legs. Andrew can rest his arms and head on Neil's shoulder. It's warm and comfortable next to the oven, with the window open so Andrew and Neil can smoke. 

 

By Christmas day, the house smells of sweets, much to Andrew's liking. The tree has a small mountain of presents beneath it. Everyone had splurged more than usual this year, since Aaron was spending break with Katelyn and this was Neil's first real Christmas. 

 

Neil is overwhelmed by the sheer number of gifts, just for him. He gets an entire wardrobe from Andrew-- who claims it's really for *his* benefit. Nicky and Erik get Neil a watch with a pretty fox engraved on the inside. Neil gets the couple a plane ticket for Nicky to visit Erik in Germany. For Andrew, he bought the leather jacket that Neil had seen him eyeing in the store. Andrew gets his cousin a photo album, and dinner reservations-- again, for Andrew's benefit. He needs time alone, away from the two sappy idiots. Nicky bought Andrew a pair of heavy leather boots to match his new jacket. He and Neil might have coordinated it. 

 

Andrew and Neil nap and watch movies and eat things that Erik cooks. In the evening they sit down to the dinner together. Neil nudges Andrew's hand under the table, and tangled their fingers together. He thinks, ‘this must be what home feels like.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys have any Christmasy prompts you'd like to see? Let me know! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short JereJean :)

You made me a Christmas playlist, but it's just Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You.’ I can't tell if you're hitting on me or if this is a joke: 

 

A short little JereJean for you :) 

 

 

Christmas break with the Trojans was the complete opposite of anything in the Nest. This time last year, Jean had been holding Nathaniel down to the bed while he screamed. Jean spared a thought to hope Neil was happy with the blonde monster. 

 

But now Riko is dead, and nobody will touch Jean again. California is still sunny and warm and bright, even in December. Jeremy doesn't make him play with broken fingers and a limp. He gives the entire team two weeks off over Christmas break. It's nothing like Evermore, and Jeremy offered to bring Jean home with him. 

 

It's the last day before the Trojans split up for winter break. Laila and her girlfriend are going to Laila's for Christmas. Jean will be the only Trojan staying on campus for the holidays. Alvarez had set up some secret santa game. Jean had gotten Laila a boxed set of her favorite movies. Jeremy hands him a CD he had made, ‘Christmas Tunes’ written in his messy scrawl. 

 

Jean puts it on when the others leave their dorm. He dances to ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ while he cooks spaghetti from a recipe book. Jeremy is in the bedroom packing to leave. He doesn't realize that he's hearing the same song on loop until he's already singing along with it. Jeremy walks in the door with a smile. 

 

“So you like the CD? I didn't think you had heard a lot of Christmas songs in Evermore.” 

 

“Is this a joke, or are you flirting with me?” Jean asks as he stirs the pot. 

 

“Why?” Jeremy asks, shocked. 

 

“Because this entire CD is just ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. I thought you were flirting with me.” 

 

“Well, I mean, Alvarez s-said it was a good idea. N-now, though, I'm n-not so sure.”

 

Jeans lips twitch into that little smile he gets when Jeremy stutters now. It's a flaw Riko would not have tolerated in the Nest, and it serves to remind Jean that he's in California now. Under the bright sun and so close to the ocean he can smell it. It's not Marseilles, but it's beginning to feel like home. Jean gives Jeremy a kiss for his trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

So… you're all alone on Christmas?:

 

 

The snow is slush in Nathaniel's shoes. His coat and jeans are damps from walking through the snow, up and down the chilly streets for somewhere to sleep. His mother would have found them somewhere safe and relatively warm to spend the night, but Neil is on his own now. His mother was buried on a nameless beach. 

 

It's Christmas Eve, and everyone is in too big of a hurry for Neil to bother trying to beg for money. He'd most likely be kicked for his effort. So he keeps walking, though his feet hurt and his stomach is empty and he's wet and freezing. The backpack on his shoulders feels heavier than usual today. He's hungry. He's tired. He wonders why he bothers running if he has nothing to live for, save his mother's memory. 

 

Cars drive by, uncaring of the slush waves that threaten to drench the people on the sidewalk. Neil was hoping he could find a hidden corner in the public library to hide in. It's only a few blocks down, and Neil shivers by the closed door. 

 

It's closed, of course, because it's Christmas Eve. People were emergency shopping, not hiding in libraries. He keeps walking, hoodie pulled tight around him. A few blocks later, a well loved sports car is parked on the side of the road, the driver crying in dismay. The remains of a flat tire hanging on the rim, and a tire iron discarded beside him. The driver looks about Neil's age, maybe a few years older. His skin is tan and hair dark, and he looks close to crying. A cell phone is broken on the ground. 

 

“Hey, mister? Are you okay?” Neil chances saying, against his better judgment. His mother would smack him for talking to strangers. 

 

“Oh! No, I mean yeah I'm not hurt or anything. But I borrowed my cousin's car and the tire popped! And I don't know how to change a tire.” The stranger begins talking faster, waving his arms expressively. He doesn't see how Neil keeps back, flinching at the sudden movements. “And my cell broke when I got out! It's Christmas Eve, where am I going to find a replacement? I have to call my boyfriend, I can't just not have a phone all weekend. And Andrew's going to be pissed when he finds out I broke his car.” 

 

Neil shifts, eyeing the man on the ground. He doesn't look armed, doesn't look like the kind of man his father would hire. 

 

“I'm Nicky, by the way. Nicky Hemmick. Can I borrow your cell? Just for, like, a second. I promise not to steal it, I swear.” He smiles nervously. 

 

“I don't have a phone. Sorry.” 

 

“Oh. Shit. Oh no. Andrew is going to stab me-- my cousin, he loves his car. And Sweetie’s only has the GingerbreadPumpkinEggnog ice cream on sale TODAY! And it's his favorite holiday ice cream. Andrew is going to kill me-- and Aaron is going to let him!”

 

Neil eyes the tire and the iron. His mother had made sure he knew how to do basics like this, just in case. He knew enough to check the fluids and change the tire. And Nicky hadn't pulled anything yet, it wasn't like his fathers men to drag things out. 

 

“I can change that. If you have a spare.” 

 

“Oh my god! You can? It's a Christmas miracle! Thank you so, so much! Uh, I think there's a spare in the trunk? Maybe. Andrew could have thrown it out somewhere, I guess.” 

 

Neil is careful to keep watch on the stranger from the corner of his eyes. There is indeed a spare in the back. And a jack folded below it. Neil walks Nicky through the steps, in case he finds himself in this position again. 

 

“Oh my god, you're amazing! Cute and amazing! Thank you so, so much! Can I give you a ride somewhere?” 

 

“I'm fine. Thanks.” Neil starts to walk away but Nicky calls to him. 

 

“But it's Christmas Eve! And it's freezing it here. Come on, I'll give you a ride home. It's the least I can do after you totally saved me! I won't bite. Unless you're into that kind of thing.” 

 

“I'm fine, really. I've got to get going. Merry Christmas.”

 

“Wait, where are you going? I mean, you are going somewhere, right? You have someone to spend Christmas with?” 

 

Neil shrugs. He thinks about lying, but it doesn't really matter. So he just shrugs silently. 

 

“Oh no! We can't have that. It's just me and my cousins, and none of us cook, so we were going to order Chinese take away. You have to come home with me. Please? Come on.” 

 

Nicky grabs at Neil's wrist, and he forces himself not to flinch. Or tries, anyway. He lets Nicky drag him to the passenger side. They drive by a diner called Sweetie’s and run in to buy two gallons of the most ridiculous holiday ice cream flavor Neil had ever heard of. The house was decorated mostly thanks to Nicky, he notices. The cousins turn out to be twins, Aaron and Andrew, who hardly spoke to eachother, and never civilly. But they are Chinese food and watched holiday movies until past midnight. It was better than Neil had grown up with.


	6. Chapter 6

I was putting up Christmas lights and fell into your arms:

 

 

 

Work sucks. Andrew hates his coworkers, hates the mindless work, hates the annoying ‘cheer’ of a Christmas party he doesn't want to be at. The road is slick with ice and slush, and everybody is driving like fucking idiots. The roads are bumper to bumper. His head kind of hurts. His leg aches where he had broken it years ago. It's just a shitty day. He looks forward to going home and eating a ton of ice cream. 

 

He takes an exit ramp, careful not to slide. The slow driving is annoying him. What's the point of an interstate if everyone goes fifty five, bumper to bumper, on the fast parts. Andrew isn't fond of the holidays. 

 

 

 

Neil has spent a few Christmas with Andrew now, but never alone. Before, there had been Nicky and once Aaron and Katelyn. Now, Nicky was home in Germany, happily the new Mr Klose. Aaron and Katelyn were off being productive members of society together. Andrew and Neil were alone for the holidays together. 

 

For thanksgiving they ordered Chinese and ate in front of the tv watching ‘anything not Exy, junkie.’ 

 

For Christmas, Nicky and/or Aaron and Katelyn took care of the decorating. Neil knew the general idea of it, but he stands lost in the holiday aisle at the store. He needs lights. He stares at the different kinds-- all kinds of colors, and rainbow, and white, and icicle; what did that even mean? Neil grabs two boxes of each. Then he reconsiders and gets one more of each. Then there are candy canes-- peppermint and cinnamon and fruity flavored. That decision is easier-- he gets four of each, because he knows Andrew will have them all eaten before Christmas Eve. 

 

Nicky had left most of the ornaments at the Columbia house with Aaron and Katelyn. Andrew might have a few favorites he had picked out over the years-- a candy cane knife, an odd smores snowman. But other than that they had no ornaments. Was he supposed to buy ornaments before he got a tree? Was this supposed to be something he did with his partner? 

 

And a tree. Should Andrew help him buy a tree? Neil doesn't think Andrew cares much about what sort of ornaments he buys, but he doesn't want to buy a tree without Andrew. So Neil fills the cart with cheap round bulbs and hooks and ice cycles. He finds some plastic reindeer and a sleigh, some giant plastic candy canes for the yard, a tree skirt, and some wrapping paper. Not that Neil expected Andrew to wrap anything-- he knew better. But Andrew loved tearing the wrapping. 

 

The road is slick but the drive is short. Neil takes the groceries inside and sets out all the decorations out for use. He started with the yard-- the plastic sleigh and reindeer up one side of sidewalk and the plastic candy canes lining the opposite. It's cute. It's cheery. It looks a little closer to the other happy houses on the block around them. 

 

Next is the wreath on the door. And the inflatable snowman from their first Christmas together in Columbia. And the. The lights. Neil grabs the well-used ladder from the garage and some little hooks to screw in. The ladder is a little wobbly from the snow, but it's mostly fine. Neil puts Christmas music on his phone in his pocket, loud enough to drown out the thoughts of ‘this is too permanent’, ‘your mother would hate this’, ‘how did I get this?’ 

 

Neil finishes the bottom and looks at the windows in the roof. He has one string of colored lights left, the perfect length to go across the peaks there. He has to stretch on nearly the top rail, but he can reach, just barely. Dolly Parton is crooning a cheery melody from his pocket. Neil hums along. 

 

 

Andrew pulls into the drive, and stops before he hits his idiot balancing on the top of their tallest latter. Putting up Christmas lights on the roof-- alone. As if to prove Andrew's thoughts, Neil wobbles. Andrew throws himself out of the car and races to catch Neil. He remembers all too well the pain of the landing, so long ago, the pain that was caused by his vulnerability. Of his foster father taking advantage of Andrew's limited mobility. 

 

Neil yelps as he loses balance, toppling back and unable to stop. He thinks, ‘oh shit, Andrew is going to be pissed.’ And just before he should hit the concrete driveway, strong arms catch him. 

 

“Goddamn it, Neil. 400%. Quit trying to get yourself killed.”


	7. Chapter 7

We're neighbors but I smell burning cookies. Step aside: 

 

Neil is desperately trying to recreate the cookies from his childhood-- that ones from that chef in Baltimore used to make. Coconut and chocolate and cherry. There was also peppermint ones and cinnamon ones and frosted ones and… well, there had been a lot of days spent hiding from his father in the kitchen, until Nathaniel learned what an undercover cop was. 

 

The kitchen was a disaster, with flour and sugar and coconut shavings and cinnamon covering the counter, and mixing bowls and whisks and spoons and knives and things overflowing the sink. Batter splashed over the counter and onto the floor when he had added too much milk. He wiped at the hair falling into his eyes. Something itches his nose. 

 

The cookies look like sticky globs, but it was close to the recipe he found on Google, which had looked close to the cookies he remembered. He puts the cookies in the oven and starts up his treadmill. Holidays were filled with too many painful memories to ever be enjoyed, but Neil had promised his psychiatrist that he would try. The cookies and the two foot plastic Christmas tree in the corner were Neil's contributions to the holiday. He tries to run off the memories of the chef’s screams, the three of them locked down in his father's basement. 

 

 

Andrew's new neighbor had never been a problem before. They were quiet, didn't play loud music or shout, didn't have any loud animals, or host guests. It was like living next to a particularly quiet ghost. 

 

Andrew gets off of work and showers and finishes the ending of his last book. His stomach rumbles and he dresses to go pick up dinner. When he opens the door, the burning smell wafted strongly though the hall. Not burning furniture, or metal, or chemicals-- burned cookies. Which should really be a crime. The only other apartment on the floor was N. Josten. 

 

He bangs on the door, if only because it smells like the fool is on his way to burning the building down, and Andrew would rather not have to find a new place to live. The idiot doesn't answer for a long time, but after several minutes of relentless pounding they answer. 

 

It's a boy, nearly as short as Andrew and half as wide. Around the same age, a few years younger. His auburn hair is stuck to his forehead, hanging into blue eyes and blending with freckles. His eyes look wide and bloodshot, his face is pale. Under the sweats and thin shirt, Andrew can see him tremble. He looks like a walking anxiety attack. 

 

“Your cookies are burning.” 

 

“What? Sorry. My what?” He pants, tugging at his bangs. His hands shake. 

 

“Your cookies. In the oven. They're thinking up the hallway-- are you deaf? The timer is blaring. Idiot.” 

 

“Oh!” The boy's face pales even more, impossibly. 

 

Andrew watches from the door. The boy rushes back into the kitchen. He throws open the oven and grabs the pan without thinking, with bare palms. Andrew lets him, watching it like a car crash. 

 

The boy drops the pan with a yelp. The noise echoed through into the hall. Cookies, burned to little charcoal stones, scatter across the floor. 

 

The boy curses under his breath, and glares fiercely at his red palms. Andrew sighs and goes in. He leaves the door open. He runs the kitchen tap cold and motions tries what's-his-name to run his hinds under it. He gives Neil a bland look and picks up the cookie sheet with an oven mitt. He leaves the cookies-- it isn't his apartment, what does he care if cookies crush into the floor? 

 

He cleans the pan off in the sink, waving Red out of the way for a moment. 

 

“I'm Neil, by the way. We've been neighbors for months and don't even know each other's first names.” 

 

“Andrew.” 

 

“Thanks. For reminding me of the oven, I mean. I sort of forgot I had them in.”

 

“And the smoke didn't do it?”

 

Neil had thought that was his imagination, the smell of burning body and car smoke, along with his burning scars and the feel of hands in his hair, or slapping against his face. Today was a disaster. Neil should have known better than to try to do something as complicated as Christmas cookies. So no, Neil had not noticed the smoke. He's lucky he didn't set off the alarm.

 

“I thought I was imagining it. That happens, sometimes.”

 

“You imagine fire? Or just smoke?” 

 

Neil shrugs. Honestly isn't really his thing, but Betsy keeps telling him to ‘open up’, to ‘trust’ more. 

 

“So are you a serial arsonist? Should I get better insurance and keep my valuables packed away elsewhere?” Andrew asks with a flat expression, not at all concerned about what he was suggesting. 

 

“No! I have-- my mother died in a fire.” Andrew looks drolly at him, so he adds, “that I did *not* start.” 

 

It was a lie with a little twist of truth-- those were the best ones. In truth, Neil's father had killed his mother. He had burned her body and their stolen car alone on the beach. 

 

Ah, so Andrew had been right, earlier. Neil had probably been in a panic attack earlier, or caught in a flashback, or something else equally shitty. He practically screams ‘PTSD!’ Andrew can understand that, maybe. He nods and lets it go. He dries the sheet and butters it again, and begins to roll little balls out of the remaining dough on the counter. Neil keeps his hands under the cold water, but his pretty eyes are heavy with pain. 

 

“What are you doing?” 

 

“I'm baking cookies, since your ass is incompetent.”

 

“I'm fine. You don't have to do that.” Neil protests, shutting off the sink with a wince. 

 

“If I don't want an impromptu fire drill, I do. Plus, I claim half as commission.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any prompts you want to see?


	8. Chapter 8

My car got stuck in the snow and you saved me: 

 

 

 

Ok, so Neil's car isn't the newest, or the fastest, or the most expensive. Actually, it used to be Matt's, but since he had bought his new truck, he hadn't needed the beat up little two-door Subaru. Neil had bought it from him for a few hundred dollars that Matt had nearly refused to take.

 

Said car was currently stuck in a ditch, in several feet of snow. The passenger door was crushed in from the truck that had hit him and drove away. The front part of the engine… thing was dented in from the frozen snow pile he had bounced off of. Who knew that snow piles were so hard? It was like colliding into metal. 

 

Now the car wouldn't start, and was hissing and spewing green and black and blue. And Neil was stuck on the highway between his apartment and The Wilde-Boyde home, in the dark on Christmas Eve. 

 

Neil's battery still turns on, so he turns on his hazards and checks his phone for signal. It's on the passenger floorboard from the accident. Judging from his dented door, that truck probably has a pretty dented front. 

 

His phone battery is dead. There is a reason he keeps his phone dead-- so his friends can't bother him all day. He hadn't thought of this happening, and he doesn't have a charger in the car. Why is Neil stuck in a snowy ditch, while the guy that hit him kept driving? Well, Neil's life had never been fair. Maybe he should buy a charger to keep in the car. 

 

It's cold, and nearing ten pm when a car finally stops to help. He's been sitting here for a few hours now, glad that he at least kept a coat, and hat with him. He jogs in place in the snow when he gets cold, but he's grateful when a sleek black car pulls carefully at the edge of the highway and turns on his own hazard lights. Neil gets out, naturally wary of strangers but desperate to get somewhere warm. 

 

“Is this a ‘Little Match Girl’ scene, for the holidays? You're rather committed, you're turning a little blue. Get in.” 

 

“Th-th-thanks,” Neil's teeth chatter as he takes the passenger seat. The car is warm, almost hot after the cold. He takes off his coat and hat, and rubs his bare hands and his nose. 

 

“Thanks. I'm Neil. J-Josten. Neil Josten.” 

 

“Andrew Minyard. I would love to see what the other guys truck looks like.” Andrew jests while Neil rubs the feeling back into his fingers. 

 

“What? Oh, I don't know. They didn't stop, just drove off.”

 

“How long?” 

 

“A few hours. I think. A truck swerved and hit my door and I went into the ditch. Now my car won't start, and it's leaking things and hissing.” 

Andrew stops at the closest gas station. Neil expects to be left there. Instead, Andrew orders him to stay, and returns with two large cups of hot chocolate. He thrusts one at Neil, who is grateful. He doesn't care for the sweet flavor, but the drinks helps to warm him. 

 

“So, where to?”


	9. Chapter 9

iMOCKusALL sent me-- Picking Christmas cards to send to the Foxes: 

 

 

 

Halloween and then Thanksgiving come and go in a hurry. Andrew and Neil spend all their free time flying across the country to see each other. Neil spends Thanksgiving in an airport, waiting for his delayed flight. Christmas is different-- Neil buys himself a ticket to go see Andrew, so his boyfriend doesn't have to fly. Andrew considers that to be half of the present. The other half, of course, being Neil's naked self beneath him that night. 

 

They have an entire week together for Christmas. The first two days are spent mostly in bed, and worshipping each other on every other usable surface in the apartment. The day after that is shopping. Andrew is notoriously awful at grocery shopping. His shopping list on the fridge says ‘ice cream, cheese, chocolate, noodles, milk, bread.’ Neil grabs all of that first, before he adds vegetables and fruit, and other things to the cart. Andrew sits on the end of the cart, letting Neil push him around the store. They both ignore the glares they get from staff, and the stares from the customers. 

 

“We should get Christmas cards for the Foxes. Since I'm not there. Isn't that what people do on holidays? Send cards?” Neil wonders. 

 

“Why are you asking me?”

 

Neil huffs and steals them to the cards. There was an entire row of hallmark cards specifically for Christmas. Andrew seems content to sit in the cart and do things on his phone. Neil scouts up and down the aisle for cards. 

 

He finds a really sparkly one for Nicky that could be rigged to shoot glitter all over the opener. Nicky had gone to Germany for the holidays, and Neil was sure Nicky would be thrilled by the little mess. 

 

A bright pink one with pretty gold reminds him of Alison, and the text says something sassy about Christmas fashion. Renee gets one with a colorful angel painted on the front, with a relevant religious quote inside. 

 

To Dan and Matt, Neil picks a card that features a silvery white fox and dancing snowflakes. 

 

He debates for a long time on whether to get Aaron and Katelyn a card. He decides on a classic, with a kitten in a Santa hat. He hopes Katelyn likes cats. He doesn't really care if Aaron does or not. 

 

For Kevin, Neil spends most of the time hunting through all of the cards for something Exy related. The closest he comes to is a football card obviously meant for someone's dad. Neil thinks he can probably scribble out ‘football’ and ‘touchdown’ in favor or rewriting ‘Exy’ and ‘goal’. It won't rhyme now, but he doesn't think Kevin will mind. 

 

For fun, Neil grabs a card for Coach that is supposed to go around a bottle of alcohol. He finds one with a puppy that reminds Neil of Robin. 

 

“Having fun?” Andrew asks, bored. 

 

“I'm done now. Let's go bake holiday cookies.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post! I forgot to hit the button.

Another one from iMOCKusALL-- we are not getting on that sleigh ride:

 

 

 

“Neil, we are not getting on that sleigh ride.” Andrew states, arms crossed, the very picture of personified stubbornness. 

 

“Why? It looks fun! They're so friendly-- come pet one!” 

 

Neil is carefully petting the nose of a rather large, black horse. It's so tall that it has to bow its neck for Neil to pet his nose. The creatures eyes droop and Neil rubs his fingers under the harness. It huffs in Neil's face, and he giggles. 

 

Really, it's not the horses that bother Andrew. Sure, they look like they could stomp Neil and Andrew and half the Foxes without noticing. But they seemed friendly enough as they stood still for Neil to scratch. No, it was the older man that keeps leering at them, like he couldn't wait to get them alone. Too-attentive eyes, watching Neil like pray. The idiot, oblivious, stares in awe at the pretty horses. 

 

“I'm not sitting in straw and smelling horse shit all night. We're going.”

 

Neil signs and gives the horse one last gentle pat. He lets Andrew link their hands together as they walk away-- it's more of a show of claim in front of the creepy old man, than sentimentality. 

 

“Are you afraid of horses?” Neil asks about a block later. They stroll towards downtown. 

 

“I didn't like the way that man looked at you.”

 

“Oh.” Neil lets it go for the moment as Andrew walks them down towards the winter fair, in the park. They walk towards the noise, and the crowds of people. Easier to be taken away, but easier to hide in, and Andrew held Neil too close to lose. He wrapped an arm around Neil's waist to rest his hand in the small of his back. It's an unusual display that Neil revels in. He loves when Andrew touches him. 

 

Some kids pulled each other on sleds. Others race down the little hills. There are people making snowmen and snow angels. Couples skate together on the frozen pond. A dozen or so kids are in the middle of what looks like a brutal snowball fight. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

Andrew quirks a brow in question. 

 

“For sticking around. For keeping me safe, and still letting me stand on my own. Just-- yes or no?” 

 

“Yes.” Andrew's eyes quirk in his form of smile. Neil kisses him on the cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank iMOCKusALL for all the amazing wonderful prompts :) 

 

Alison takes Neil shopping at the mall and makes him take a picture with Santa: 

 

 

 

So maybe going to the mall on a Saturday wasn't such a good idea. There were children running everywhere, screaming in excitement and fake fear. Neil hoped none of these kids knew what real, true terror felt like. Women chatting loudly in a group, talking about how pretty ‘that redhead boy’ is-- until he turns his head to look at them and they see his scars. They cluck and turn away. 

 

Maybe bringing Allison Christmas shopping wasn't such a good idea. She drug him around from store to store, black card handy, and spent at least a half hour in every store. Over an hour, if she made Neil try clothes on-- which she absolutely did. Neil trails behind her, the silence after a hurricane. Hurricane Allison. She takes clothes off the rack and piles them in Neil's arms before sending him off to try them all on. He feels ridiculous when she calls him out so she can decide how everything looks. 

 

An older man, nearly the same height of Nathan, with thinning blonde/red hair, bumps into Neil on the way into a shop. Neil freezes, and then nearly screams when the man grabs Neil's shoulder, right on top of a scar, to balance himself. 

 

But then Allison is there, knocking the hand away, quicker than Neil could. “Back off,” she scowls at the man and drags Neil away. Maybe bringing her was a good idea. 

 

He changes his mind. Going with Allison is a terrible idea. They spend an hour in a Christmas themed shop that she calls ‘country chic’. At least half of which is spent looking at, and then trying on, Christmas sweaters that Neil thinks are all hideous. And kind of useless? What's the point in having a shirt you can only wear over Christmas? It's a pastel blue that she says looks good with his hair and eyes. Little white snowflakes are stitched across it. Allison loves it. Neil is mildly uncomfortable. At least it wasn't the one that had lights in it-- why would a shirt need to light up?

 

There's a fat man in a red suit with a fake beard. A short line of children and parents stretch through a maze of velvet rope in front of him. The mall Santa has two mall Elves that help to herd and corral the kids. Allison drags Neil into the line behind a wide woman and her blonde demon child. The demon child screams when the mother makes them wait in line. 

 

“What are we doing?” 

 

“We’re visiting Santa because I seriously doubt your awful parents brought you to do stuff like this when you were a kid. You are seriously lacking in normal childhood experiences, so I'm filling in. I'm your mother now,” Allison claims proudly. She wraps an arm around Neil to keep him from leaving. He lets her. 

 

The Foxes Christmas card features Neil, sitting awkwardly on Santa’s knee, looking ready to bolt, and Allison with her hand on his shoulder to keep him from running.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I had the worst migraine it was awful. So here is one for yesterday.

December is Aaron's new favorite month. Andrew is locked away, and Neil is off doing who knows what. Aaron doesn't care, because they're *gone*, and Christmas break is fantastic. Nicky is bouncing on his toes as they tour around New York, shopping. Katelyn had gone with them this time, and even Kevin swore he didn't care about them enough to tell Andrew about it later. 

 

She looked beautiful, surrounded by all the snow in a coat almost as bright as her smile. Her eyes sparkled more than the snow on the ground. They can hold hands in public without worrying about being spotted. They can kiss and do coupley things that Aaron revels in. 

 

They rent two separate hotel rooms, much to Nicky's delight, but they spend Christmas morning together in Nicky and Kevin's room, trading their few presents. Aaron gets Nicky a poster of Jeremy Knox’s ass (mostly to annoy Kevin). He gets Kevin an alarm clock (mostly to annoy Neil and Andrew). And he gives Katelyn a necklace he had spent hours shopping for. 

 

They spend days ice skating and admiring the great Christmas trees. Katelyn hums Christmas songs as they walk through Central Park. It's the best Christmas that Aaron can remember since he was a young, young child. Katelyn looks at Aaron like he hung the moon when he kisses her nose and tells her he loves her. And then she turns a chastising face his way when he lobs a fat snowball at Kevin's face. 

 

It's the best Christmas he has ever had.


	13. Chapter 13

My mom knitted you a jumper: 

 

Jean hasn't had a Christmas since he was nine. Every year after was spent at Evermore, where the Ravens trained every day. Jean had spent the holidays with bruises and stitches and broken bones. No excuse was great enough to get out of Exy practice. 

 

But now Jean was with the Trojans, was with Jeremy. Last year had been spent with the Knox family. This year was spent alone with Jeremy-- his parents were going to visit Jeremy's grandparents in Florida, and Jeremy had opted to stay in California with Jean. Jean, who had been alone for so long, through so much. Jeremy vowed to never leave Jean alone again. Not if he could help it. So they stayed in their off-campus apartment, shared with Laila and Alvarez, who were home for the holiday. 

 

They bought a little tree to set up by the bay window seat where Jean liked to read. They had bought it with Laila and her girlfriend the weekend before they left, had mixed eggnog and a bottle of rum into a punch bowl and decorated it while they got drunk. The first gifts under the tree were sent from Jeremy's mother. 

 

They decorated in strings of bright garland, and glimmering lights.The entire apartment was glittering in red and green, white, gold and silver. The fairy lights on Jean and Jeremy's ceiling were year-round, but they looked more at home amongst all the other holiday cheer. 

 

They take a day wandering around the mall, sneaking moments to buy a few gifts for each other. Jeremy finds a soft blue sweater that says ‘la vie est bell’, a book that he thinks Jean might like, and a fluffy blanket with a colorful space pattern on it. Along with a pack fuzzy socks, because Jean needs soft things in his life. 

 

Jean finds a pair of shoes with wheels in the heels, and he his first thought is ‘what the fuck? Shoes with wheels? Why?’ His second thought is ‘Jeremy would probably love these.’ They're red, with yellow laces, Trojan colors. In a bookstore, he finds a little fidget cube, with different knobs and switches and buttons and balls to fidget. And then a CD of the Eagles that he knows Jeremy doesn't own, but would like for their weekend drives. 

 

On Christmas Eve, they stay up late into the night, drinking strongly spiked eggnog, and watching Christmas movies while they cuddled on the couch. When Jeremy starts to doze, Jean picks him up and carries him to their room. 

 

They wake up pressed together on Christmas morning. Jean, with his back to the wall and Jeremy drooling on his chest. It's Jeremy who wakes up first-- of given the chance, Jean might spend all day in bed, sleeping in. It was a luxury Jean had never been afforded, before. So it's Jeremy who wakes up first, yawning widely into Jean's chest. 

 

“Jean? Sweetheart? Morning.” He mumbles into his boyfriends chest. They're both still wearing their clothes from the day before. 

 

“Merry Christmas, mon cherie. My heart.” He presses a kiss to Jeremy's hair. 

 

“Merry Christmas!” He tilts up to let Jean have his lips. “Come on, up! Presents, and cocoa, and Christmas waffles! Let's go, babe, presents!” 

 

Jean lets Jeremy pull him to their feet and drop down onto the floor in front of the tree. Jean hands Jeremy the package from his parents, first.

 

“It arrived first,” he shrugs. 

 

Jeremy smiles and gives Jean another kiss before he opens it. It's a lump of cloth in the box. When he pulls it up, it's an obviously homemade sweater in Jeremy's favorite color red. There is another in the box, in Jean's favorite blue, along with a Christmas card from the rest of the Knox family. 

 

Jeremy grins and throws one of the lumps at Jean. “My mom made you a sweater.”


End file.
